Alexander Wang leaves Balenciaga

Yesterday it was revealed that American designer Alexander Wang would step down as creative director of famed fashion house, Balenciaga. After almost 3 years, it seems that Wang is struggling to cope with the demands of his own fashion brand and that of Balenciaga, and now wants to focus his attention back onto his self titled line.

Honestly, I didn't see this arrangement working out from the beginning. First of all, Alex Wang is young, very young in fashion terms to head up a major fashion house. He is the cool kid from New York, who likes his sports wear and relaxed way of dressing with fans including Rihanna, Kendall Jenner and Katy Perry. If anything, his brand is on the rise, after the H&M collaboration last year and the success of trendy diffusion line T by Alexander Wang, it's fair to say that Wang is a man on a fashion mission and is setting the ground work for what will be one day, be a huge luxury goods empire. So for him to take the reigns of Balenciaga is like putting together chalk and cheese.

Balenciaga is one of the oldest fashion houses which shows at Paris Fashion Week. It has a clientele which consists of older, more refined ladies who wouldn't be caught dead in Wang's sports wear. Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger and Kristen Stewart (who is the face of their Florabotanica fragrance) are just some of the women who wear Balenciaga on the red carpet. Plus, Nicholas Ghesquiere was at the fashion house for 15 years - which is a very long time in fashion for a creative director to head a brand. For any designer to follow on from his success would be a tricky task, which is why Kering should have chosen someone with a little more experience for Balenciaga, compared to Wang.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that this move is for the best. Wang's collections for Balenciaga have been good, but not amazing. There have been a few collections I have really liked, especially the fall 2015 show staged in March this year. There is no doubt that he is a very talented designer. He has definitely embraced the DNA of the brand, but used his own style to modernise it considerably. Who will now replace him? Who knows, but there is talk that Kering will choose someone who has worked their way up at Balenciaga. Someone who understands the aesthetic of the brand and knows the ins and outs of ready-to-wear. Similar to how Kering appointed Alessandro Michelle at Gucci a couple of months ago. In the meantime, we just wait and see. But a fond farewell goes out to Alexander Wang.

Romantic & Opulent - Anna Karenina Style

The award winning movie, Anna Karenina was released way back in 2012, but it was only today that I saw it for the fest time. The famous Russian love story by Leo Tolstoy, is one of the most iconic in literature and tells a riveting story full of romance, betrayal, passion and tragedy. In the 2012 adaptation, directed by Joe Wright, Keira Knightley plays the title role of Anna opposite Sam Taylor- Johsnon as her lover Count Vronsky and Jude Law as her betrayed husband. The movie does go on forever (almost 3 hours!) but is well worth the watch if in need of some Russian realist fiction. 

The reason why I'm writing about this film is due to the beautiful costume designs and sheer opulence of the movie set. Wright cleverly sets his story in a huge theatre, with the actors and actresses moving as though they were merely characters performing to an audience on stage. If we really wanted to get analytical about this film, you could suggest that in this way Wright makes a point that we are all judged in society as our lives are played out almost as though we are actors upon a stage... just like Anna's and Count Vronsky's. Anyway, this isn't an English lit essay - but you get the picture! The beautiful set designs are wondrous and the array of rich colours are just part of the overall appeal of this movie. But for me, the costumes worn by Anna especially were breathtakingly stunning! And it's all thanks to the legendary costume designer, Jacqueline Durran. 

 I have always been a fan of historical costumes and the romantic stories in which they tell. Durran however brings nineteenth century fashion entirely into her own, designing the most gorgeous dresses for Keira Knightley's Anna. From the stunning black tulle ball gown she wears when dancing with Count Vronsky at the ball to the dark crimson dress she wears later on in the movie. The dresses looks as though they could have come straight out of the Victoria and Albert museum such is the depth and detail within the handiwork.  Durran, who was heavily inspired by french couture when designing the pieces for this movie, revealed that the clothes mirror the unraveling story. When Anna falls in love her clothes match her wild, carefree spirit but as the movie progresses and her paranoia starts to unfold, the clothes become more subdued and dark. 

Jacquline Durran has worked with Keira Knightley three times, designing the costumes for Atonement and Pride Prejudice also. She has also worked on other films, including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Nanny McPhee Returns, Mr Turner, Lara Croft and Star Wars Episode II. But it's her costume designs for Anna Karenina that really capture the imagination. In fact, Durran won an Oscar for her work on the movie, the only Academy Award she has won so far in her career.  

The costumes in Anna Karenina make you feel as though you are really there in 1873 Russia. You feel a sense of the glamorous ballrooms, the elegant tea rooms where the Russian women would come together to gossip and socialise and the opulent stately homes in which Anna and her aristocratic friends live. I love the way in which Anna's costumes reflect that. From her peacock feathered pillar-box hat to her luxurious fur stole, to the embroidered cape and the decadent jewellery - which was all loaned by Chanel, apparently worth over $2million! Not only are the dresses beatiful but the way in which they are styled is also very clever. Leather gloves, with a netted hat, paired with a thick winter cloak and a full bodiced dress; just one example of a fabulous outfit fit for a Russian princess. Plus the fact that Knightley can pull of almost anything with her tall, slender figure certainly helps portray the beauty of Anna Karenina! 

While looking further into Durran and her inspirations for this movie, I found that the amount of work and thought that goes into costume designs is extensive and difficult. She explains here why she and the director Joe Wright picked sombre black as the colour for Anna's dress when she appears at the society ball. "The first thing we discussed was wether it should be in black or not. It is a very significant costume in the history of literature, so we thought that we should respect that. And also, black kind of worked in the playing out of the scene, because we had already decided that the colour of society would be a range of sour pastels. So I made the 25 dancers’ dresses that are at the ball in 25 shades of sour pastels. So that was already the backdrop for her dancing. To put Anna in that environment, with those colours behind her, that just made sense that she would be in black.” 

While preparing for the movie, Durran further explains what inspired her jaw-dropping creations.
“I looked at lots of pictures of 50s couture, particularly French couture. And I looked at 1870s paintings and photographs and pictures of existing garments from the period and I tried to make it an amalgam of these aesthetics, if that makes sense.”

I've put together some of the original sketches for the film and then the real pieces Anna wears. Look at the detail and beauty of the pieces and just take a moment to admire the skill of Durran and her fantastic eye for historical costume design. 

Best Of: Fall 2015 Ad Campaigns

Can you believe its that time of year again? All the autumn/winter ad campaigns have been released everywhere, from magazines to the sides of buses, the back pages of newspapers to social media. From model of the moment Kendall Jenner's campaigns for Fendi and Balmain along with her younger sister Kylie to Dolce and Gabbana's maternal and moving 'Mamma' campaign, complete with a lot of babies!

This year the ad campaigns have got more glossy, more epic and aimed more at the younger audiences who now have a greater knowledge of fashion through sites such as Twitter and Instagram. With the rise of reality star girls Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Hailey Baldwin, all of a sudden everyone who's anyone is aware of what a Balmain blazer looks like or a pair of Sergio Rossi strappy sandals. What's more, fashion has become more accessible. Even the new D&G campaign highlights our obsession with selfies, with models posing with handbags and jeweled crowns while taking a quick selfie of their new luxury items. Some may say what is the world coming to! There's no avoiding the lure to indulge in a little online shopping with the amount of ads thrust under your nose when browsing the web. And the ad campaigns are vital for luxury fashion brands to get ahead and create hipe at the start of the new shopping season.

So, I've picked out some of my favourite's this season. I love the bold and colorful Versace campaign featuring Karlie Kloss and Caroline Trentini. It's quite ironic (in a nice way) that Donatella Versace is the face of the new Givenchy  campaign as she gazed up at the camera in a stunning monochrome shot while Gucci's fall 2016 campaign, shot by Glen Luchford focuses on photography and the accessories which the brand is famous for. Julia Bergshoeff and Vanessa Moody star as the faces for Salvatore Ferragamo in sultry, red lit photographs and I also love the 50's inspired MaxMara shoot modeled by Gigi Hadid with a clinical background. The collection was inspired by the glamour of Marilyn Monroe and this campaign certainly does capture that spirit. The Balmain sister-hood idea for their latest campaign is also a clever concept, inviting famous sisters such as Joan and Erika Smalls and Gigi and Bella Hadid to star in their shoot.

There's so many more to choose from, but unfortunately I can't go on forever. So here are some of the best... enjoy!

Dolce and Gabbana 

MaxMara

Gigi Hadid for MaxMara

Givenchy

Donatella Versace for Givenchy

Fendi 

Kendall Jenner for Fendi

Balmain

Kendall and Kylie Jenner for Balmain

 

Joan Smalls and her sister Erika for Balmain

Salvatore Ferragamo 

Versace

Mirabilia Romae: Valentino Couture 2015

I love Paris Haute Couture week. usually my favourite shows tend to be Giambattista Valli, Zuhair Murad, Chanel etc, the normal big, heavy weight luxury brands. However for fall 2015, the Valentino Couture show was absolutely, hands down the best collection of them all.

Inspired by a beautiful Greek tragedy and seeped in historical detailing, Valentino delivered a spell binding collection of amazing dresses. The title of the collection, 'Mirabilia Romae' which translates to "marvels of Rome," in Latin was indeed an ode to the ancient wondrous city. Models looked like angels descending onto the catwalk in Rome, complete with simple make up and hair swept back in loose ponytails with gold embellished head pieces. The jewelery was so sumptuous, all golds and precious stones embossed onto statement necklaces, bracelets and earrings. The necklaces especially really lifted the already beautiful clothes with a touch of class and majesty. The whole collection was basically majestic; fit for an ancient Greek goddess.

Designers, Maria Grazia Churi and Pier Paolo Piccoli went for very simple yet bold colours. There was plenty of black and dark greys, and of course, the famous 'Valentino Red' was included in the collection. Some prints were used but really the simplicity of the colours was enough. All the dresses were elegant and swept across the ground; silks and chiffon in empire line shapes were reminiscent of sublime Greek statues and the belts that cinched in the waist were gorgeous. Some had sleeves while others were drapped in a-symmetric silhouettes. I loved the fact that some bared a lot of cleavage, but were then classy and refined due to the yards of fabric in the skirt. It was the kind of collection you could tell would costs a lot of money as the clothes just smelt of luxury.

The overall feel of the show was extremely 'Game of Thrones' with a twist of classic, Italian tailoring.
The clothes were medieval looking but could fit right into a 21st century dinner party. I loved the red coat with the large lapels and gold brocading, regardless of the to be expected huge price tag. I also thought all of the red pieces in the middle of the collection were magnificent. The whole thing, from the catwalk set design to the spell binding black capes and the gladiator sandals, this was a show fit for a princess.

Paris Couture Week

Chanel Couture

Giambattista Valli 

Atelier Versace

From Chanel's incredible casino catwalk starring Julliane Moore, Kristen Stewart and Rita Ora to Versace's unearthly creations ealier in the week. It's fair to say that this Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week is not disspointing. Giambattista Valli, a fav of mine, gave us wonderful fairy tale dresses in pastelly colours while Dior went for prisitne, elegant glamour thanks to the clever craftsmanship of Raf Simmons. And we still have Armani amongst others come! I can't wait...

Christian Dior Couture

A Fond Farewell to Donna Karan

When I checked my Twitter feed a couple of days ago, I did not expect to hear the surprising news that Donna Karan was stepping down as chief director of her self titled company, Donna Karan. I mean she's only 66, Karl Lagerfeld is still going and he's 81, but Karan has stated that she wants to focus more on her philanthropic duties, which of course is understandable. Yet, her presence at NYFW will be missed. Her big grin as she comes out for her bow at the end of the show and the way in which she spoke so passionately about her clothes. Then there are her incredible collections. All New York glam but with a more practical twist. It's fair to say that I'm a fan!

Donna started her fashion company way back in 1984 and was the designer of the 90's with her sexy, power dressing wardrobe. She said that a woman only needs 7 key pieces in her wardrobe in order to look good, and that was it. Think tailored jackets, pencil skirts, crisp white shirts and sexy stilettos - every working woman of the 90s was inspired by Donna Karan and like many great designers, she left her mark on the way which we dress.

In 2001, the luxury fashion group LVMH invested considerably in the company and helped it grow into the empire it is today. Perfumes, sunglasses, scarves, bags etc. the list goes on. DKNY became one of the most sought after and popular brands in the world with the likes of Rita Ora and Cara Delevingne modelling campaigns for them. And as for the perfumes, well they are like the most well known on the planet.'Be Delicious' as modeled by Lara Stone, the famous 'DKNY' perfume campaign starring Anja Rubik kissing her boyfriend on the top of a New York taxi and the fresh 'Pure DK' fragrance.

Okay, lets stop reminiscing about the good old times, but Donna Karan really was a visionary and so respected by many. Her most recent collections have certainly got my seal of approval with all the majestic, khaki colours and amazingly flattering silhouettes. Everything was always so natural and clean, the clothes especially the dresses were stunning and very womanly and as for the accessories; they were so beautiful. All the top models walked for her and all the most glam celebrities were perched on the front row. what i find surprising about Karan's exit, is that no new creative director has yet been named and the brand will not show at NYFW in September. Let just hope they don't discontinue the company...

The designer said in a statement: "Donna Karan New York is a part of me, past, present and future," she said in the statement. "It has been an honour to speak woman to woman about seven easy pieces that forever changed the way women dress...I have arrived at a point in my life where I need to spend more time to pursue my Urban Zen commitment to its fullest potential."

Let's take a look back at some of Karan's most iconic moments!